Work-Integrated Learning and Craftsmanship Orientation among Vocational College Students: Professional Identity and Digital Competence

Fangyuan Chang

doi:10.12345/jetm.v10i3.43547

Article

Work-Integrated Learning and Craftsmanship Orientation among Vocational College Students: Professional Identity and Digital Competence

Fangyuan Chang

10 Vol, 3 No (2026) Pages 12-15 Open Access

Abstract

This study investigated how vocational students’ experiences of work-integrated learning relate to their craftsmanship orientation. Professional identity was examined as an intermediary variable, while digital competence was considered as a possible boundary condition. The sample comprised 100 adult students from three vocational colleges in Ordos, China. The four study-specific measures had satisfactory internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from .862 to .897. Work-integrated learning quality was associated with both craftsmanship orientation (β = .594, p < .001) and professional identity (β = .568, p < .001). The estimated indirect association through professional identity was 0.181, 95% CI [0.066, 0.328]. Digital competence moderated the relationship between work-integrated learning quality and professional identity (β = .240, p = .005), and the index of moderated mediation was 0.076, 95% CI [0.021, 0.153]. The results are consistent with the proposed model, although the cross-sectional design does not support causal conclusions.

Keywords

work-integrated learning, craftsmanship orientation, professional identity, digital competence, vocational education

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